Handle and method of construction thereof



Sept. 6 1955 E. H. NELSON HANDLE AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION THEREOF 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1952 INVENTOR.

frdick E jVeZsv/z Sept. 6 1955 E. H. NELSON HANDLE AND METHOD OFCONSTRUCTION THEREOF Filed July 22, 1952 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 i v a 2 vUnited States Patent HANDLE AND METHOD-0F CONSTRUCTION THEREOF Erdick H.Nelson, Naperville, ill.

Application July 22, 1952, Serial No. 300,289

14 Claims. (Cl. 190-57) This invention relates to a handle and a methodfor fabrication thereof, and, more particularly, to a plasticcoveredhandle produced by electronic seaming.

Prior handles, utilizing a laminated construction having a shell membercovered by flexible materials such as leather or various types offabric, were produced by manual folding and stitching operations whichwere not only time consuming and expensive but also subject to manyinherent defects resulting in the rejection of a large number of thecompleted handles. These stitching operations utilize conventionalsewing mechines which are incapable of producing seams around sharpcorners or in recessed portions so that these prior handles must beformed with curves of relatively large radii. Also, the manualoperations utilized prevented production of handles having a uniform andpleasing appearance.

Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a handle of anew and improved construction and pleasing appearance.

Another object is to provide such a handle which is produced by coveringa shell or frame member with a plastic covering material in which themethod utilizes a minimum of operational steps with aconsequentdecreasein production costs.

Another object is to provide a method for fabricating covered handleswhich utilizes electronic seaming :and in which the covering material ispositively secured to a frame or shell member of any configuration in aclosely adhering relationship.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a covered handle isproduced by folding a sheet of flexible heat sealing material into aU-shaped configuration .and then joining the superimposed layers of thesingle folded sheet together to produce a first seamed P0rl-i0fl havinga configuration generally corresponding to the inner :configuration ofthe shell to be covered. The production of the first seamed portionsevers the intercepted portion of the folded sheet from the bodythereof, and this is removed to permit the remaining portion of thesheet to be reversed or inverted so that the first :seamed portionextends inwardly between the two layers or folds of the sheet. Thisreversed blank of web material ."is-then applied to an integral handle.shell having :-a recess idefining structure such as that provided by .apair of opposed edges so that the inwardly extending seamed portion isreceived within the shell with the remaining ,portion of the folded andseamed blank extending around the outer surface of the shell.

Then, the assembled shell and seamed sheet or web of plastic materialare placed in a suitable die corresponding to the configuration of thedesired handle, and .a mating .die member is moved into engagementwith:the shell and covering material to move the opposed edges into clampingengagement with the seamed portion, and to move the free ends .of theblank into .a continguous relationship adjacent the surface of the shell'or frame member. 'The mating dies are provided with means forelectronically seaming the covering material at a position spaced fromthe superimposed plastic laminae.

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the first seamed portion to provide a second seamed portion joining thefree ends of the plastic sheet and thus holding the covering material inintimate contact with the outer surface of the shell and holding theopposed edges in engagement with the inwardly extending first seamedportion. The die may also be provided with a pair of cooperating cuttingedges to provide a plurality 'of tabs which are tucked into a pair ofannular openings extending through the shell to .provide a bearingsurface forireceiving handle supporting posts. The dies mayalso beprovided with a plurality -of opposed means for producing depressions inthe second seamed portion to simulate the appearance of conventionalstitching.

'In a second modification of this invention, the handle shell or frameis covered in the manner described above and utilizes a unitary foldedsheet of covering material including a pair of spaced plastic sheetshaving filling material interposed therebetween and secured in positionby a plurality of longitudinally extending seams joining The'two seamedportions produced, in addition 'to joining the folded layers of thecovering material, also join the superimposedlaminae forming the sheetof covering material along lines extending across the longitudinal seamsto positively prevent longitudinal displacement of the filling materialwhen the handle is in use. The filling material together with thelongitudinal securing means therefor provide a corrugated surface whichmay be embossed with suitable indic ia designating such information asthe trade name of the manufacturer.

A third embodiment of the invention includes a handle shell or framecovered in the manner described above and in which the covering materialcomprises a pair of spaced sheets of .heat sealing material having afilling material disposed therebetween. The two sheets or laminae ofmaterial are joined together only by the two seamed portions and byseams having the configuration of a design which is embossed on thematerial.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description of the illustrative embodimentsthereof in the course of which, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig.1 is an elevational view vin partial section of the first embodimentof the invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a plan view in partial section showing a folded sheet of thehandle covering material with the relative position of a handle shellshown in dot-dash outline;

.Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 in Fig. 3';

Fig."5.'is a plan view of the folded sheet -of covering materialfollowing a first operational step in which the first seamed portionviisproduced;

'Fig. 6 is va plan view in partial section of the handle shell togetherwith the covering material shown in Fig. 5 assembled in proper ,positionthereon; I

Fig; 7 is a sectional view taken along line 77 in Fig. 5;

'Fig. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view'takenalong line "88 inFig.6;

Fig. '9 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view of .the handle shown in Fig. '9 withindiciaembossedthereon;

Fig. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along line 11-1-l in Fig. 9;

12 is .a .top view in partial section of the handle showninFig. 9;.and jFig .13 is .a fragmentary sectional view of a third embodiment of theinvention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings, there is provideda covered handle, indicated generally as 20, including a shell member,indicated generally as 22, covered by a sheet of heat sealing material,indicated generally as 24. The handle 20 is substantially U-shaped inconfiguration and is adapted to be movably mounted on a pair of handleposts 21, one of which is shown in dashed outline in. Fig. 1. The handle29 is provided with an external seamed portion 26 having markingsthereon representative of conventional stitching and an inner or lowersurface 28 which is smooth and free from outwardly extending projectionsso as to prevent undesirable abrasion of the hand of the user.

The shell or frame 22 of the handle 2% is formed of an integral metalconstruction by folding a pair of identical but oppositely positionedtrough or U-shaped members 22a and 2211 (Figs. 2 and 8) together to forma single shell 22 of a closed U-shaped configuration. The shell 22includes a pair of bight portions 36 (Fig. 6) and two pairs of opposededges 33 and 40 (Fig. 8). The edges 40 are so formed on the shell 22that when the edges 38 are moved into engagement, the edges 40 arespaced slightly apart to define a recess or opening. The portion of theshell 22 adjacent the bights 36 is provided with apertures 42 (Figs. 6and 8). Since the shell 22 is of integral construction, there is nopossibility of displacing the supporting posts 21 from within theapertures 42 within which these posts are received, and also provides ahandle which is strong in physical construction and relatively light.

' In order to provide a covering for the shell 22 which is integral inconstruction and easily fabricated, the unitary sheet 24 of any heatsealing material, such as vinyl, acetate, or butyrate, is folded alongan axis extending across the sheet approximately midway along the lengththereof to form a folded blank as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of thedrawings. This folded blank is then placed in a suitable electronicheating or seaming die and a second mating die is moved into engagementwith the interposed folded sheet of material 24 to produce a firstseamed or joined portion 30, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, or, asindicated in dashed lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Although it ispreferred to utilize electronic seaming produced by dies designed tooperate in the 40 megacycle range, other frequencies and other means ofjoining the covering material may be used.

This first seamed portion 30 not only integrally joins the twosuperimposed folds of the sheet 24 but also scores or severs the sheet24 along a line coinciding with the edge of the seamed portion 30 todefine an intercepted portion of the sheet, indicated generally as 32.This intercepted portion is severed from the remainder of the sheet 24along a pair of diagonal lines 33 to produce a pair of tabs 34 either bya manual cutting operation, or by the provision of mating cutting edgeson the cooperating dies which produce the first seamed portion 30. Theintercepted portion 32 is removed by tearing along the scored portionadjacent the seam 3% to produce the blank shown in Fig. 5. If desired,the portion 32 of the sheet could be cut out prior to forming the seamedportion 30.

A first step in which the sheet of heat sealing material 24 is rigidlysecured to the metal shell 22 in a closely adhering manner comprisesinverting or reversing the blank formed from the sheet 24, as shown inFigs. 5 and 7 of the drawings, so that the seamed portion 30 extendsupwardly between the two folds of the sheet 24 (Fig. 8). This firstseamed portion 30 is then positioned in a recessed portion of the shellas by inserting this seamed portion between the pair of edges 40 so thatthe two folds of the sheet 24 extend upwardly around the outer surfaceof the shell.

To seal the sheet 24 in position on the shell 22, the assembled shell 22and seamed sheet 24 are positioned in an electronic seaming or heatingdie (not shown) and a cooperating die member is moved into engagementwith the sheet covering material 24 in the positions shown in Fig. 6 toproduce the second seamed portion 26.

The movement of the dies into engagement with the interposed and foldedsheet of material 24 also moves the two halves 22a and 22b of the shell22 into intimate and gripping engagement with the inwardly extendingseamed portion and thereby positively locks the cover material 24 in adesired position relative to the shell. Since this downward movementwhich grips the first seamed portion 359 also forms the second seamedportion 26, the material 24 is held in intimate engagement with theshell portions 22a and 22 to urge these members into continuingengagement with the first seamed portion 30 following the release of thedie members. These shell portions are urged into engagement with theseamed portion 30 since the covering material 24 is placed under tensionby the formation of the seamed portion 26, and this tension is appliedto both folds of the covering material 24 through the seamed portion 36.Since the material 24 is sealed in intimate engagement with the outersurface of the shell 22 and since the inwardly extending seamed portion30 is positively grasped between the cooperating edges of this shell,the covering material 24 is positively held in a predetermined positionrelative to the shell and produces a completed handle 20 of pleasingappearance and durable construction.

These two dies, in addition to forming the second seam 26 also sever orscore the sheet 24 along the edge of the seam 26 to provide a secondscrap segment, indicated generally as (Fig. 6). This scrap material 50is removed from the completed handle 20 by severing the material along apair of lines 52 (Fig. 6), either manually or by using mating cutingedges on the dies, to provide a second pair of tabs 54. In addition toproducing the externally extending seam 26 (Fig. 1) the dies alsoprovide a series of depressions 56 to simulate the appearance ofconventional stitching along the periphery of the seam 26.

Since the seamed portions 26 and 34 are formed by the use of electronicheating dies, it is possible to produce these seamed portions with anydesired configuration, including those having acute angles, becauseelectronic heating dies are easily fabricated in any configuration.Since it is possible rapidly to produce seams of any desiredconfiguration, the handle 20 and shell 22 therefor may be varied toprovide any pleasing appearance, and the choice thereof is not limitedto those shapes having curves of large radii in order to accommodate theproduction of seams by conventional stitching equipment.

In order to provide a bearing surface to be engaged by the supportingposts 21, the two pairs of tabs 34 and 54 are tucked or folded inwardlyinto the openings 42 from the positions shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the inwardly folded tabs 34 and 54cover the entire surface of the bights 36 so that when the handle 20 ismanipulated in use, the surface of the posts 21 bear against theinwardly folded tabs 34 and 54 and not against the bight portions 36 ofthe shell. The tabs 34 may be folded into the apertures 42 either beforeor after the production of the seamed portion 26.

Another feature of the improved handle 20 arising from the use of anintegral sheet of the covering material 24 is the provision of a smoothouter covering for the bight portions 36 of the shell 22. As shown inFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the bight portions 36 are covered by anintegral web portion of the sheet 24 and are free from the conventionalstitching normally utilized to join two separate pieces of coveringmaterial at this particular location. In addition to providing a handle20 of an improved appearance, the use of an integral web of materialcovering the bight portions 36 prevents displacement of this materialduring use.

Referring now to Figs. 9 to 12, inclusive, of the drawings, there isprovided a covered handle, indicated gen erally. as 60, having a shellor frame member 62, similar to the shell 22, which is covered with asheet 64 of heat sealing material provided with corrugations, indicatedgenerally as 63, over a portion of the surface thereof. The shell 62 iscovered with the sheet 64 in the same manner as that described inconnection with the fabrication of the handle 20 to provide a pair ofseamed portions 77 and 78.

The seamed portion 77 is received within the recess or depression in theshell 62 provided by a pair of opposed edges 61 to be held in placethereby, and the second seamed portion 78 secures the free edges of thesheet 64 together to maintain the edges 61 in engagement with the firstseamed portion 77 and to hold the sheet of plastic material 64 inengagement with the outer surface of the shell 62.

The sheet 64 is composed of a pair of superimposed laminae 66 and 68 ofheat sealing material which are joined together by suitable means suchas adhesive or pressure lamination. The corrugations 63 in the sheet 64are produced by inserting a filling material 70 such as kapok or cottonbetween the two laminae 66 and 68 and then providing a plurality oflongitudinally extending seams 72 which secure the superimposed laminae66 and 68 together and also divide the filling material 70 into aplurality of parallel masses to provide the corrugations 63.

The production of the seams 77 and 78, in accordance with the method forfabricating the handle 20, provides a pair of seams extending laterallyor transversely across the longitudinally extending seams 72 so as toprevent longitudinal displacement of the filling material 70 after thehandle 60 has been completely fabricated, and, accordingly, preventsunsightly bunching of the material 70 to distort the pleasing appearanceprovided by the corrugations 63.

As shown in Fig. of the drawings, the corrugated portion of the handlecovering may be provided with embossed characters 76 for indicatingdesired information. The presence of the corrugations 63 insures theproduction of embossed characters 76 of sufficient depth as to be easilyvisible. Although the covering material for the handle can be embossed,the characters produced therein would not have sufiicient depth as to bereadily visible.

The outwardly extending seamed portion 78 is provided with a pluralityof outwardly extending depressions 80 to simulate conventional stitchingwhich are similar to the depressions 56 (Fig. l) but which produce adifferent visual impression so as to simulate a different type ofstitching. These depressions 80 are produced by the electronic seamingdies in the same manner as the depressions 56.

A third embodiment of the invention comprises a padded handle 90 (Fig.13) which is formed by covering a shell 92 with a web of coveringmaterial 94 in accordance with the method for fabricating the handles 20and 60 to provide a first seamed portion (not shown) and a second seamedportion 95 The shell 92 is similar to the shells 22 and 62, and isformed in any desired shape.

The covering material 94 includes a pair of spaced laminae 96 and 98 ofheat sealing material between which is disposed a mass of fillingmaterial 100 such as cotton or kapok. These two laminae are joinedtogether by the two seamed portions joining the two folds of thecovering material 94 and by a plurality of seams 102 which are embossedin the material 94 to provide a decorative design for the handle 90.These seams serve to prevent displacement of the filling material 100during use of the handle 90.

The appearance of the handle 90 is that of a smooth outer surface brokenonly by recesses therein formed by the seams 102. Obviously, the seams102 may be formed in the covering material 94 either before or afterapplication thereof to the shell 92, and, further, may be formed toprovide any desired configuration of design.

While the present invention has been described in connection with thedetails of only three illustrative embodiments, it should be understoodthat the details are not intended to be limitative of the inventionexcept insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

. surface of said shell and including a seamed portion engaged by theedges, and means joining the covering at a location remote from theseamed portion to apply tensional forces to the covering to force theedges toward the seamed portion.

2. The handle defined by claim 1 in which the covering comprises a pairof superimposed sheets of flexible material having a filling materialdisposed therebetween and secured in place by a plurality oflongitudinally extending seams joining the superimposed sheets, andfurther in which the seamed portion of the covering joins thesuperimposed sheets along a line extending across the longitudinallyextending seams to secure the filling material in a desired longitudinalposition.

3. A handle comprising a folded hollow shell having a pair of opposededges and a pair of openings extending therethrough, a covering for saidhandle, said covering including a first seamed portion extending intothev hollow shell and engaged by the opposed edges, said covering alsoincluding a second seamed portion for holding the covering in engagementwith the shell and the edges in engagement with the first seamedportion, and tabs formed integral with the covering adjacent both endsof the seamed portions and extending into the hollow shell through theopenings.

4. A handle adapted to be movably mounted on supporting posts comprisinga hollow shell having a pair of openings extending therethrough and apair of opposed edges, a covering for said shell including a seamedportion received between the opposed edges, and tabs formed integralwith the covering and extending into the openings to provide bearingsurfaces to receive the supporting posts.

5. A handle adapted to be movably mounted on supporting posts comprisingan integral folded hollow shell having a pair of opposed edges and apair of bight portions, said shell also having a pair of openingstherethrough adjacent the bight portions, an integral folded coveringfor said shell including a pair of bight portions superimposed upon thebight portions of the shell,

said covering also having a seamed portion received between the edgesand extending around the shell from one opening to the other, and tabsformed integral with the covering and extending into the openings toprovide bearing surfaces for the supporting posts.

6. A handle adapted to be movably mounted on supporting posts comprisingan integral folded hollow shell having a pair of spaced bight portionsand openings extending through the shell adjacent the bights, said shellalso having spaced first and second pairs of opposed edges, an integralfolded covering for said shell including a pair of bight portionssuperimposed on the bight portions of the shell, said covering having afirst seamed portion projecting into the hollow shell between the firstpair of opposed edges and extending around the edge of the shell fromone opening to the other, said covering also having a second seamedportion positioned adjacent the second pair of opposed edges andextending from one opening to the other for holding the first pair ofedges in gripping emgagement with the first seamed portion, and tabsformed integral with the covering adjacent the openings and positionedtherein to provide bearing surfaces for the supporting posts.

7. The handle defined by claim 6 in which the covering comprises a pairof superimposed sheets of flexible material having a filling materialdisposed therebetween and secured in place by a plurality oflongitudinally extending seams joining the superimposed sheets, andfurther in which the first and second seamed portions of the coveringjoin the superimposed sheets along a line extending across thelongitudinally extending seams to secure the filling material in adesired longitudinal position.

8. A method of producing a covered handle from a web of heat sealingmaterial and a shell having a pair of opposed edges, which comprisesfolding the web, heating a first portion of the web to produce a firstseamed portion, inverting the seamed web to position the first seamedportion between the folds of the web, placing the first seamed portionbetween the opposed edges of the shell with the folds superimposed onthe outer surface of the shell, compressing the shell and superimposedfolds of the web to move the opposed edges into gripping engagement withthe first seamed portion, and heating a second portion of the web duringsaid compression to form a second seamed portion for holding the foldsin intimate contact with the outer surface of the shell and for holdingthe edges in gripping engagement with the first seamed portion.

9. A method of making handles from a sheet of heat sealing material anda folded metal shell having a pair of opposed edges, which comprisesfolding the sheet, electronically heating the sheet to form a firstseamed portion having a configuration similar to one outline of theshell, removing the portion of the folded sheet intercepted by the firstseamed portion, inverting the seamed sheet to position the first seamedportion between the folds of the sheet, positioning the first seamedportion between the opposed edges of the shell with the folds of thesheet adjacent the outer surface of the shell, compressing thesuperimposed folds of the sheet and the shell to force the edges intoengagement with the first seamed portion, and electronically heating thefolds of the sheet adjacent the edge of the shell to produce a secondseamed portion for holding the edges in engagement with the first seamedportion and for holding the folds of the sheet in engagement with theouter surface of the shell.

10. A method of producing handles from a sheet of heat sealing material,and a shell having a pair of openings therethrough and a pair of opposededges, which comprises folding the sheet, heating the folded sheet toform a first seamed portion having a configuration similar to oneoutline of the shell, cutting the folds of the sheet from the ends ofthe first seam to a point adjacent the folded edge thereof to form afirst pair of tabs, removing the folded portion of the sheet interceptedby the first seamed portion and the first tabs, inverting the seamedportion of the sheet so that the first seamed portion is positionedbetween the folds of the sheet, inserting the first seamed portionbetween the opposed edges, folding the first pair of tabs into the pairof openings, compressing 5;.

the superimposed folds and shell to move the edges into engagement withthe first seamed portion, heating the folds of the sheet adjacent oneedge of the shell to pro duce a second seamed portion, cutting the foldsof the sheet from the ends of the second seamed portion to the foldededge of the sheet to form a second pair of tabs, re-

moving the portion of the sheet defined by the second pair of tabs andthe second seamed portion, and folding the second pair of tabs into theopening. 7

11. A method of producing a covered handle from a web of material and ashell having a recess defining structure which comprises folding theWeb, joining a first portion of the web to form a first seamed portion,inverting the seamed web so that the first seamed portion extendsbetween the folds of the web, placing the first seamed portion in therecess so that the folds of the web are positioned around the outersurface of the shell, and joining a second portion of the web to producea second seamed portion to hold the web in intimate contact with theshell.

12. A handle comprising a shell having a recess and a pair of openingstherein, a covering for said handle, said covering including a firstjoinedportion positioned in the recess, said covering also including asecond joined POI-I tion spaced from the first portion for holding thecovering in engagement with the shell, and tabs formed integral with thecovering adjacent both ends of the joined portions and extending intothe shell through said openings.

13. A method of covering a handle having a recess with Web material,which comprises joining the web material to form a first seamed portion,placing the first seamed portion in the recess with the folds of thematerial positioned around the outer surface of the handle, and joiningthe material at a position spaced from the first seamed portion to forma second seamed portion for holding the first seamed portion in therecess and for securing the material in intimate contact with the outersurface of the handle.

14. A handle comprising a hollow shell having an opening therein, and acovering for said shell, said covering including a pair of superimposedsheets of flexible material having a filling material disposedtherebetween and secured in place by a plurality of seams joining thesuperimposed sheets, said covering having a first seamed portionextending into the hollow shell through said opening andhaving a secondseamed portion spaced from the first seamed portion for holding thefirst seamed portion in the opening and for holding the covering inintimate engagement with the shell, said first and second seamedportions also joining the superimposed sheets to secure the fillingmaterial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS521,217 Oswald June 12, 1894 748,012 Ritter et al. Dec. 29, 19031,403,167 Kahlow Jan. 10, 1922 1,510,142 Goldman Sept. 30, 19241,705,858 Finkelstein Mar. 19, 1929 1,816,277 Anthony July 28, 19312,519,604 Romolt Aug. 22, 1950 2,563,134 Romolt Aug. 7, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS 158,423 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1921

